Tomorrow Is Another Day
by autumnrose2010
Summary: What if Bonnie had survived her fall from the pony and Melanie had also lived?
1. A Close Call

Bonnie opened her eyes and looked around. She was lying on the ground, and the pony was prancing around in confusion. She didn't remember exactly what had happened, only that a moment ago she had been sitting on the pony's back, and the next moment she wasn't anymore. Frightened and in pain, she began to cry. Both her parents were there instantly, her mother gathering Bonnie into her arms.

"Oh, my baby!" Scarlett cried, hugging Bonnie tightly.

"Mommy, my back hurts!" Bonnie wailed.

"I know, sweetheart." Scarlett carried Bonnie to the chair she had been sitting in and sat down with her.

"Can you move your arms and legs, Bonnie?" asked Rhett.

"I think so, Daddy." Bonnie flexed first an arm, then a leg.

"I think she's more frightened than hurt," Rhett said. "No more high jumps, young lady, until you've had a lot more practice. I'm going to move that bar right now." He immediately did so, while Scarlett continued to console Bonnie.

"Don't take my pony away...please don't take my pony away..." Bonnie begged.

"Of course we won't take her away, dear. We just don't want you to do any more high jumps until you've had a lot more practice, that's all. You could have been hurt very badly just then, Bonnie."

By the time Rhett returned, Bonnie's sobs had dwindled to sniffles.

"Feel better now, darling?" Rhett rumpled Bonnie's hair playfully.

"Yes, Daddy." Bonnie smiled and held her arms out to him, and he gently lifted her into his arms.

"Well, I think we've had quite enough pony riding for one day. How about if I take you out for ice cream? Your mommy can come along too, if she likes."

"I think I'd like that, Rhett," Scarlett said softly.

"Well, then, it's all settled, isn't it?"

"Hurray!" Bonnie cried.


	2. A Restless Night

Scarlett couldn't get to sleep that night. Visions of Bonnie's fall from the pony simply wouldn't leave her mind. To her surprise, she found that what she longed for more than anything else was Rhett's arms around her. Yet, she had pushed him away so many years ago...how would he react at suddenly finding her in bed with him?

After tossing and turning for an indefinite period of time, Scarlett decided that she simply had to give it a try. If he rejected her, then so be it. Quietly she climbed out of bed and made her way to Rhett's bedroom. Luckily, his door wasn't locked, so she gently pushed it open and crept to his bed, where he lay sleeping. She lifted the cover and climbed in beside him.

His arm automatically moved to cover her, and she snuggled closer to him, when suddenly he awakened, startled.

"Scarlett?" He rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed. "To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?" She heard the sarcasm in his voice and felt discouraged.

"I couldn't sleep, Rhett. I just couldn't stop thinking about what happened today, what could have happened..."

"Ah." Rhett's tone immediately changed from one of sarcasm to one of sympathy. "It indeed could have been a very tragic day, but thank God Bonnie wasn't seriously injured, so we can simply take it as a lesson to be more cautious in the future with regards to Bonnie and the pony."

Scarlett turned her head as if to end the conversation, but Rhett still watched her. "Erm...is that all?" he asked after a few moments of awkward silence.

"I want you to hold me, Rhett."

For a moment he looked unsure how to respond, and then his arms went around her somewhat hesitantly, and she put her head on his shoulder.

"You know, we never did finish that conversation we started."

"What conversation?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Scarlett. We were discussing the possibility of your giving the mill to Ashley. You know that we don't need the income, and I would feel much better knowing that he was no longer a constant presence in your life."

"I know that, Rhett, but...right now I'm just so tired..." As if to illustrate her point, Scarlett yawned grandly. "Can't we just talk about it some more tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow. Very well." Scarlett heard the edge in Rhett's voice, and for a moment she was afraid that he would tell her to go back to her own bedroom, but he didn't. Instead he continued to hold her as they both gently drifted off to sleep.


	3. Saying Goodbye

"I finally did it, Rhett," Scarlett said. "I gave the mill to Ashley today."

Rhett looked at her with surprise, then joy. "Good for you!" he exclaimed. "Now that that's behind us, we can finally discuss moving to Charleston. I really think you'd like living there, Scarlett. It's a much bigger city, so full of color and life, just like you are."

"Well, I'm certainly willing to give it a try," said Scarlett.

That night Rhett stopped by Scarlett's bedroom to say good-night to her. It was the first time he had ever done that, and he lingered in the doorway a bit afterwards, seeming unsure whether or not he should say something more. Scarlett suspected that she knew what he was thinking.

"Come to bed, Rhett," she said softly.

Rhett cocked one eyebrow. "Are you sure?" he asked softly.

Scarlett nodded. "I've missed you, Rhett." As he slowly walked to the bed and sat beside her, he noticed that there were tears in her eyes. He gently wiped them away with his thumbs.

"Are you prepared for the possibility that you might become pregnant again?"

She considered the question. "Rhett, if I went through it again...pregnancy and childbirth, I mean...and was never again as slender as I am now, would you love me still?"

Rhett looked surprised, then burst out laughing. "Of course I would, darling! What a question!"

"That was the main thing I was worried about," Scarlett told him. "Other than that, I wouldn't mind at all giving Bonnie a little brother or sister. I think she would love that."

"Well, let's get started, then." Rhett began to kiss Scarlett passionately.

* * *

><p>With mixed feelings, Bonnie went to say good-bye to her best friend, Beauregard Wilkes, known as Beau. Although she was excited at the prospect of moving to the lively city of Charleston, she felt sad that she wouldn't be able to see Beau as often anymore.<p>

Beau saw her coming and greeted her.

"I came to say good-bye," Bonnie told him. "We're moving to Charleston in South Carolina, where my daddy came from."

Beau looked crestfallen. "Then we can't play together every day like we do now anymore."

"I know." Bonnie sighed. "I'm going to miss you, Beau."

"I"m going to miss you too, Bonnie." Beau thought of something. "Wait right here for just a minute, Bonnie. I'll be right back." He ran inside the house and returned with a delapidated stuffed dog with floppy ears.

"Scruffy told me he wants to go to Charleston with you," he told Bonnie.

Bonnie's eyes widened with shock. "You're giving me Scruffy?"

"I want you to have him, to remind you of me."

"But he's your favorite toy! Won't you miss him?"

"Sure, but I still want you to have him. When you come back to visit, you'll bring him along, won't you? Please do!"

"Of course I will, Beau. Thank you!" Bonnie hugged and kissed her friend. Then they played together until it got dark and Bonnie had to go back home.


	4. Charleston

Scarlett and Rhett were both feeling cheerful as the carriage entered Charleston. Bonnie hugged Scruffy tightly as her big blue eyes gazed around in wonder.

"Well, here we are at last, Bonnie. This is where your daddy grew up," Rhett told his daughter.

"Are we going to live in the same house you lived in when you were a little boy, Daddy?" asked Bonnie.

Rhett laughed. "Oh, no, sweetheart. This house is much grander than that one was."

"Is it as grand as our old house back home?"

"_This _is home now, Bonnie. And yes, it's at least that grand, if not grander. Well, look, here we are!"

The carriage finally came to a stop in front of a large house.

"Yay!" Bonnie shouted, jumping up so fast that she almost fell out of the carriage.

"Careful, sweetheart," Scarlett admonished her gently.

"I don't blame her one bit," Rhett said with an indulgent laugh. "Long carriage rides are hard on young ladies who'd much rather be running and jumping around. Isn't that right, Bonnie?"

Rhett climbed down from the carriage, helped Scarlett down, and then swung Bonnie down. To the amusement of her parents, the little girl immediately began skipping around excitedly.

Scarlett looked at the large accumulation of their belongings waiting to be unloaded from the carriage and groaned.

"We'll have it all unpacked in no time if we work quickly," Rhett said cheerfully. He put his arm around his wife. "We're finally home, darling," he said softly. "We've left all the old baggage behind and now we're ready to make a fresh start."

Scarlett knew what 'baggage' he was talking about and wondered how long it would be before she started missing Ashley so badly that it hurt. She purposefully squashed that thought and attempted to replace it with a more positive one.

"Daddy! Mommy! Look what I can do!" called Bonnie. They watched as she did a cartwheel and then cheered for her.

"You're getting to be such a big girl!" Rhett exclaimed, ruffling his daughter's hair.

The little girl beamed. "Come on, Scruffy," she said, still holding tightly to the stuffed dog. "Let's go look inside our new house."


	5. You Haven't Lost Everything

The Butlers quickly adjusted to their new lives in Charleston. Rhett got back in touch with some old friends, Scarlett met some of the local ladies, and Bonnie found new playmates, although she still missed Beau dearly.

Since Scarlett longed to stay busy and surrounded by people, she found a job in a small clothing store downtown. She loved operating the cash register and gossiping with her customers. Every so often, a man who resembled Ashley would walk past on the sidewalk outside the store, and in spite of herself, she would always feel a bit disappointed when she realized that it wasn't Ashley, after all.

Since she and Rhett now shared a bedroom, he had once again become the loving and attentive man she had married. He brought her presents such as flowers or candy almost every day and took her to dinner or dancing or the theater often. Sometimes he saw her standing beside the window looking sad. He thought that he knew the reason for her sadness but he really only knew part of the reason.

"You really miss Tara, don't you?" he asked softly.

"I miss _everything, _Rhett...my mother...my father...the way things used to be before the war...everything I've lost, taken as if swept away by a brisk wind..."

"You haven't lost _everything, _Scarlett. You still have Bonnie and me." His voice was tender as he gave her a gentle hug.

"I know, and I thank God for both of you every day."

The next day, Scarlett swooned while operating the cash register. She fell and got a nasty gash on her forehead. Of course, Rhett asked her about it when she got home that evening.

"Oh, it's nothing." She chuckled dismissively.

Rhett frowned. "I wouldn't be too sure about that. I've been meaning to have a talk with you, Scarlett, and right now seems as good a time as any. I think you've been working too hard. You've been looking so pale and weak lately, and I think you've lost weight as well. I think you should visit the doctor."

"There's nothing wrong with me, Rhett. I just haven't been eating well lately. I'm sure it's just some minor illness that will pass soon."

Rhett woke up the next morning to the sound of Scarlett vomiting into a bowl. "That's it. You're going to the doctor today," he told her.


	6. Carreen

"Are you happy about it, my darling?" Rhett asked Scarlett when the doctor gave them the news that Scarlett was about two months pregnant.

"I am if you are," Scarlett told him. "I know you must want a son this time."

"I'd be just as happy with another daughter, as long as it's healthy," Rhett replied. "But you are going to have to start taking it easy from now on, Scarlett. Cut back on your work hours, or better still, give up the job completely. I'm very concerned about your own health as well, my love."

"But what shall I do all day, then?"

"Sit back and let me pamper you."

One day not long afterwards, a carriage came to a stop in front of Rhett and Scarlett's house, and a man and woman emerged. The woman was carrying a baby. It took Scarlett only a moment to recognize the woman as her youngest sister, Carreen.

"Why, what on earth are you doing here?" Scarlett asked her. "I thought you were still at the convent."

"I left it several years ago," Carreen told her. "This is my husband, Adam Benbow. His carriage broke down just outside the convent one day, and I went to see if I could be of assistance. One thing led to another, and we soon fell in love. I left the convent and married him three years ago. This is our daughter. I named her after my favorite sister, you. Her name is Katie Scarlett Benbow. We call her Katie."

"It's nice to meet you, Adam," said Rhett, shaking hands with Carreen's husband. "So, where are you from?"

"Indiana, originally," Adam said. "I joined the army in '62 and served under Ulysses S. Grant for three years. Did my part in helping to preserve our Union. When the War ended, I stayed in the South to help with Reconstruction. I met Carreen purely by accident and fell head over heels in love with her. I just adore her accent. I could listen to her talk all day."

Scarlett grabbed her sister by the ear and pulled her into another room that was out of earshot.

"Ouch!" cried Carreen, rubbing her ear.

"You _traitor! _A Yankee soldier turned carpetbagger! How _could _you, Carreen?" Scarlett whispered fiercely.

"They're God's children too, Scarlett," Carreen protested. "Adam is a decent man and a wonderful husband and father. He can't help it that he was born in Indiana."

"I'll bet he's not even Catholic either, is he?"

"Well, no, but..."

"Out! Out of my house with your Yankee husband and half-breed baby, right now!" Scarlett's eyes flashed with anger as she glared at her sister.

"Scarlett, please!" Carreen begged. "You can't just turn your own sister and niece away! We're your own flesh and blood! Adam's construction business was failing, and we wanted to start over again someplace new. I asked about you, and they told me you had moved to Charleston. I knew that you and Rhett would be able to help us. Please, Scarlett, you know I'd do anything in the world for you if the situation were reversed."

"Go to your husband's family in Indiana for help! That bunch of tyrants sat safe and warm at home while their men invaded our land, looted, sacked, burned, robbed, raped, and destroyed us, and left us to pick up the pieces while they went back up North to be celebrated as heroes!"

"We can't. Adam's family disowned him when he married me. You're the only family I have left, Scarlett."

Just then baby Katie cooed. Scarlett, who normally had no patience for babies, was captivated by her big, round blue eyes.

"May I hold her, Carreen?"

"Why, yes, of course!"

Scarlett took Katie into her arms, noticing how soft her skin was, how fresh and clean she smelled. With a sudden pang she remembered Bonnie as a baby. Katie gurgled and smiled at Scarlett, and Scarlett smiled back.

"See, she likes you!" Carreen said.

Just then, Rhett and Adam came into the room.

Scarlett's eyes blazed as she glared at Adam. Rhett saw the expression on her face and gently touched her hand.

"It's all right, Scarlett," he said gently. "Adam and I have been talking, and he seems a right decent chap, just trying to make his way in the world like everyone else. I think they deserve our help."

Scarlett glanced once again at Carreen's pleading eyes, then at baby Katie's innocent blue ones.

"Please excuse me for just a moment," she said. She left for the toilet and returned a moment later with a look of panic on her face. Rhett went to her and took her into his arms.

"What is it, darling?" he asked.

"I'm bleeding!" Scarlett cried, collapsing into his embrace.


	7. The Butterfly

"Good news," the physician said, after examining Scarlett. "Your baby is still alive. However, since you've had this close call, you're going to have to be especially careful from now on. I'm putting you on strict bed rest for at least a month. Then I'll examine you again and decide where to go from there."

"But what shall I ever do? I"ll die of boredom simply lying here all day!" Scarlett complained.

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen," Rhett told her. "I'll talk to you, read to you, play games with you, anything you want."

"So will I," Carreen said eagerly. Scarlett glared at her.

"This is all your fault, Carreen! If you and your Yankee husband hadn't come here and stressed me out, this would never have happened!" she fumed.

"Now, Scarlett, there's no use in placing blame now," Rhett said mildly. "It's already happened, but things are going to be all right, thank goodness."

"Why do you have to stay in bed, Mommy?" asked Bonnie.

"To make sure that the baby inside me stays healthy and doesn't come out too early," Scarlett told her.

Bonnie's eyes grew round. "You have a baby just like Katie inside you?"

"My baby is very tiny right now, much smaller than Katie. That's why it needs to stay inside me and grow a bit more before it's ready to come out."

Bonnie was fascinated by her little cousin. To her, Katie was just like a living doll. She enjoyed watching Carreen feed her and care for her.

"You're going to be a wonderful big sister," her aunt told her.

"I'm glad Katie's here," Bonnie replied. "I've been so lonely since we moved away and I can't play with Beau anymore."

"You really miss him, don't you?" Carreen asked.

Bonnie nodded.

"Maybe you'll get to see him again soon," Carreen said.

"I hope so," Bonnie replied before going out to play.

In her front yard Bonnie saw a beautiful butterfly fluttering around. She ran back inside for her butterfly net and a jar, and when she returned, the butterfly had flown away, but Bonnie could still see it in the distance. By the time she drew near to where she had seen it, it had flown even further away.

Bonnie wanted the butterfly more than ever now. As she crept stealthily along, her attention was so riveted on her target that she didn't see a huge tree branch sticking up out of the ground until she had tripped over it and fallen. When she stood up, she looked around and realized that she didn't recognize her surroundings at all. Trying hard to fight the feeling of panic that was welling up inside her, she frantically sought to retrace her steps but had no idea from which direction she had come.

"Mommy! Daddy!" she screamed, but there was no answer.

A few minutes later, she felt the first raindrop strike her face.


	8. Rescued

The rain began to fall steadily, mixing with Bonnie's tears as she ran desperately in the direction she thought was the right one, still screaming for her parents. Suddenly she heard her own name being called from a distance and turned to see a blurry figure approaching. As the figure came closer, she saw that it was her Uncle Adam. She ran to him, and he picked her up.

"It's all right, Bonnie," he said soothingly. "I'm going to take you home now."

Bonnie buried her face in the front of his shirt, and her sobs soon became whimpers. Within minutes, she was once again inside the safety of her own house.

"Look what I found out in the rain," Adam announced.

"My Bonnie! Give her to me!" Scarlett demanded from her bed.

"Thank you so much for finding our Bonnie and bringing her back, Adam," Rhett said.

"Well, I guess a Yankee might be good for something once in awhile after all," Scarlett said grudgingly.

"You'd better be grateful Adam found her before someone else did," Rhett told her.

"I'm cold, Mommy," said Bonnie.

"That's because you're soaked to the bone! Go put on some dry clothing right away!" Scarlett commanded her.

"Yes, Mommy. Thank you for coming to get me, Uncle Adam," Bonnie said politely.

"You're very welcome, sweetheart," Adam said, ruffling her hair.

* * *

><p>Scarlett had to grudgingly admit that Adam and Carreen's presence was a great help while she was bedridden. The physician did eventually allow her to do a limited amount around the house, but within a short time she was far enough advanced in her pregnancy to be suffering frequent backaches and having to rest often.<p>

Little Katie soon became more mobile around the house, first scooting around on her hands and knees, then crawling properly, and finally taking steps while holding onto furniture. Bonnie had to learn to be careful to keep her playthings put away. Katie also learned to say a few words, including Bonnie's name, which made Bonnie very happy.

Rhett and Adam became good friends, and even Scarlett came to feel more kindly toward Adam following the incident when Bonnie got lost chasing the butterfly. Adam was able to start his own business in Charleston, and it soon became successful enough that he and Carreen were talking about being able to buy their own house.

"We appreciate your allowing us to stay here during our time of need," they told Rhett and Scarlett.

"You're perfectly welcome to stay with us for as long as you want. You're family," Rhett told them.

One day Scarlett seemed to suffer from backaches even more frequently than usual. Within a few hours she noticed that the backaches seemed to come and go on a regular basis.

"I think it's time to fetch the doctor," she told Rhett.


	9. Daniel

By the time the doctor arrived, Scarlett was in active labor.

"It'll probably be just a couple of hours," the doctor announced after examining Scarlett. "Second babies tend to come more quickly."

"I swear, Rhett, I'm going to fix you where you have to pee sitting down from now on," Scarlett grumbled at the onset of yet another strong contraction.

Rhett laughed. "Once our baby's here, you'll forget all about all of this," he predicted.

"Don't bet on it," Scarlett muttered. "Oh!"

The doctor checked her again after awhile. "Everything seems to be progressing well," he said.

* * *

><p>Bonnie sat with her Uncle Adam and Aunt Carreen in the parlor, watching little Katie toddle around and helping to keep her out of trouble.<p>

"No, no, Katie," she said as the little girl reached for a glass figurine.

"Why does it take so long for the baby to come out?" she asked Aunt Carreen.

"The good Lord just made it that way," Aunt Carreen told her.

"Did it take a long time for Katie to be born too?" Bonnie asked.

"A very long time." Aunt Carreen rolled her eyes and laughed. "I was in labor for almost a whole day."

"Believe me, it was the longest day of my life," Uncle Adam chuckled.

"Did it hurt?" Bonnie asked. Aunt Carreen nodded.

"Why do women want to have babies if it takes a long time and hurts?" Bonnie asked.

"Because after the baby's born and you see it, you love it so much that you forget all about how long it took or how much it hurt."

* * *

><p>Scarlett lay writhing in misery, hitting the bed with balled-up fists, and screaming and cursing.<p>

"Just keep pushing. You're almost there," the doctor encouraged her.

Scarlett groaned deeply and pushed mightily, and the infant slid out of her body and into the doctor's hands. The doctor cut the umbilical cord and slapped the baby's bottom and it began to wail.

"It's a boy!" the doctor announced.

Scarlett flopped back onto the bed, exhausted. The doctor cleaned the squalling infant, wrapped him in a blanket, and handed him to his mother.

"You can come in now," he told Rhett, opening the door.

Rhett entered the room to see Scarlett sitting up in bed smiling drowsily. "It's a boy," she told him.

"Well, now, how about that." Rhett grinned happily. He pulled the blanket back and gazed at his new son. "Daniel Rhett Butler. That's what you wanted to name him, isn't it?"

Scarlett nodded. They both watched little Daniel flex his tiny hands, marvelling at what a miracle he was.

Suddenly all the color drained from Scarlett's face. "I feel funny," she said weakly. Her eyes rolled up into her head, and she slumped over. Rhett gasped as he saw the blood flowing from between her legs and leaking out onto the bed.


	10. An Experimental Procedure

The doctor saw the expression on Rhett's face and immediately sprang into action.

"Get her bottom half elevated immediately," he ordered. He and Rhett piled pillows under Scarlett's bottom, so that her legs were elevated.

"What happened?" Scarlett mumbled. She was pale and weak but still conscious.

"Everything's going to be all right, darling," Rhett told her, but the expression on his face belied his words.

"Gravity will help slow the blood loss," the doctor told Rhett. "I've seen many cases like this. Sometimes the bleeding stops on its own, and sometimes it doesn't. We'll just have to wait and see."

"Am I going to die?" Scarlett asked.

"Of course not, darling. I'll do whatever I have to to save you, and I won't let you go. I simply refuse to."

"Isn't there anything I can do?" he frantically asked the doctor.

"There is one experimental procedure we can try," the doctor told him. "It's very new and highly experimental, so it isn't guaranteed to be successful, but there has been a limited amount of success in transferring blood from one person to another."

"I'll do it!" Rhett said without hesitation.

From his bag the physician procured two needles and a section of tubing. By now Scarlett was delirious and didn't even notice when one needle was inserted into her arm. The doctor inserted the other needle into Rhett's arm and told him to remain very still with his arm elevated higher than Scarlett's.

* * *

><p>In the parlor, Carreen, Adam, and Bonnie wondered why everything had suddenly become so quiet.<p>

"Is my Mommy all right?" Bonnie asked.

"Of course she is, sweetheart," Carreen assured her. "The doctor will be here soon to tell us whether you have a brother or sister."

Bonnie looked as if she were about to cry. "I want my Mommy, _now!" _she insisted.

"And you shall have her, just as soon as she's finished having the baby," Carreen soothed. "Come here and let me tell you about when Katie was born."

"The labor pains started in the middle of the night," Carreen began. "At first I thought that maybe it was just indigestion and ignored it, but throughout the night the pains just got stronger and stronger. When Adam finally woke up early the next morning, he could tell that something was wrong."

"I told him that it was time to fetch the doctor. The doctor came and examined me and said that I had a long way to go. He had other patients to see, so he left. Adam stayed with me and rubbed my back when it hurt."

"After a few hours the doctor came back to check on me. He said that everything was progressing normally and that the baby should be born by late afternoon."

"Late afternoon arrived and still the baby hadn't come. I was worn out and in incredible pain. The doctor came back and stayed this time. He turned me on my left side, then had me sit up, and at last had me get up on all fours. I was in too much pain to do that by myself so he and Adam had to help me. At last I got the urge to push. I pushed and pushed and pushed and Katie finally slid out of me and into Adam's arms. She was all wrinkled and red, and her head was shaped like a cone, but to Adam and me she was the most beautiful baby in the world."

"I like that story," Bonnie said.

Just then the door opened and the doctor came out. "Everything's fine. You can go in now," he said with a smile.

When Adam, Carreen, and Bonnie entered the room, they saw that Scarlett was sitting up in bed, smiling and holding her baby. Rhett sat beside the bed grinning from ear to ear.

"I'd like you all to meet our son Daniel," Scarlett said.

_A/N: In my story Rhett and Scarlett both have blood type O Positive so Scarlett won't suffer any complications from the transfusion._


	11. An Old Friend And A New Cousin

At sixteen, Bonnie Blue Butler was a beautiful girl. She had dark brown hair like both her parents and clear blue eyes. She was very intelligent, with her mother's high spirits and her father's social graces.

Today she was taking the train to Virginia to start the new year at one of the most prestigious schools in the country. After careful consideration, her father had selected it from amongst all the others. Nothing but the very best for _his _daughter.

The train came to a stop and Bonnie grabbed her suitcase and began the walk to the school with the other new students.

Never had Bonnie felt so tiny as when she was inside the enormous school building. It was so very different from the schoolhouse she had attended back in Charleston. It was so much bigger, and there were so many more students.

Bonnie found the dorm she would be sharing with another student and began to remove her belongings from her suitcase and put them away. While she was doing that, another girl of about her age walked in. The girl had wavy dark brown hair and brown eyes. She looked friendly.

"Hi, I'm Rachel Sommersby," she said.

"I'm Bonnie Butler. It's nice to meet you," Bonnie said as she shook Rachel's hand.

"So where are you from?" asked Rachel.

"Charleston."

"I'm from Vine Hill, Tennessee," Rachel told her. "My family...well, my mother and my older brother...are tobacco farmers."

"My father was a Confederate soldier," Bonnie offered. She didn't think it was wise to get into too much detail about her father with someone she had just met.

"So was mine."

Bonnie and Rachel spent a little longer getting acquainted, and then it was time for the evening meal. Bedtime followed shortly after that.

The next day, Bonnie was searching for her first class when she heard her name being called and turned to see none other than her old childhood friend, Beau Wilkes. He was a lot taller than the last time she had seen him, of course, and wore his hair in a different style, but she recognized him right away.

"Beau!" She ran to him and hugged him. "I'm so glad to see you again!"

"I'm glad to see you again too, Bonnie."

"Well, how are your family? Does your father still run the saw mill?"

"Yes. He and my mother are both fine, and I also have a younger sister now. Her name is Natalie."

"I have a little brother named Daniel and a cousin named Katie," Bonnie told him.

"I'm here on scholarship. My father couldn't afford for me to go otherwise," said Beau.

"You must get really good grades," Bonnie replied.

"I try." Beau smiled modestly.

"Well, here's my class." Bonnie stopped outside the door. "It was really nice to see you again, Beau. I hope to see you around again soon."

Bonnie made her way into the classroom and found her seat. She began to get her things in order when she realized to her consternation that she couldn't find her pen.

"Excuse me, mademoiselle. I believe you dropped this." Bonnie turned to look into the darkest brown eyes she had ever seen. They belonged to a very handsome young man with an olive complexion, dark brown hair, and very white teeth. He gave her a charming smile as he handed her pen back to her.

"Why, thank you." She smiled back at him. "I'm Bonnie Butler."

The young man's eyes widened. "Scarlett O'Hara's daughter?"

"Why, yes! How did you know?"

"I'm very pleased to meet you, Bonnie. My name is Marc Robillard, and I'm your second cousin."


	12. School Dance

"Which necklace do you think goes better with this dress?" Bonnie asked Rachel, holding both necklaces up.

"That one." After a moment's consideration, Rachel nodded to the necklace in Bonnie's left hand.

"If I wear this bow in my hair do you think it will be too much?" asked Rachel.

Bonnie thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No, I think it looks fine."

The two girls were getting ready for the first student dance of the school term. They were both very excited and anxious to look their very best.

When they arrived at the auditorium, Bonnie looked around with big eyes. Streamers hung everywhere, and at one end of the auditorium, a table draped in white held several large bowls of punch and plates piled high with snacks. All the boys were dressed formally in suits and ties. They all looked so much older and more mature tonight. Marc Robillard was there, dashing with his dark hair in perfect array and his shirt neatly pressed. He looked in Bonnie's direction, and her heart began to beat faster. She felt a little bit disappointed when he looked past her and asked Rachel if she would like to dance. Bonnie watched enviously as he led her out onto the dance floor.

"Hi, Bonnie. Would you like to dance?"

Bonnie turned to see Beau Wilkes smiling and holding his hand out to her.

"Certainly," she said politely, allowing him to lead her onto the dance floor. Just then Marc and Rachel sailed past, and Bonnie looked after them wistfully.

"You look very beautiful tonight," Beau told Bonnie.

"Thank you. So do you," she told him. It was true. Every strand of his dark blond hair was perfectly in place, and his bright blue eyes shone with enthusiasm. Bonnie was amazed at how grown up he looked tonight.

"Handsome, you mean." He chuckled.

"Right. Handsome." Bonnie blushed slightly.

"You're quite a good dancer as well," Beau added.

"Thank you. So are you," said Bonnie.

"So, tell me about your little brother," Beau said.

"His name's Daniel. He looks just like my father. My mother always says that he reminds her of my grandfather who died before I was born. He likes to play cowboys and Indians. He wants to be a train engineer when he grows up. What's your little sister like?"

Beau grimaced. "Her name's Natalie. She's all right sometimes, but sometimes she really gets on my nerves. She always wants to do everything I do. Sometimes I just want to do something on my own, and when I tell her to go away and leave me alone, she goes crying to our mother, and our mother makes me let her join in."

"Daniel does the same thing sometimes, except that instead of crying, he gets mad and stomps his feet."

"Does your mother make you give in to him?"

"No, she tells him to stop pitching a fit." They both laughed.

Bonnie was having so much fun dancing with Beau that she wasn't even aware of the passage of time until suddenly the dance was over and it was time to return to the dorms. Bonnie searched all over for Rachel but couldn't find her anywhere. By the time she finally gave up and decided to return to the dorm alone, the auditorium was almost deserted. Beau offered to walk her back to her dorm.

As she neared her dorm, Bonnie was sure she heard a muffled male voice, followed by giggling. She opened the door to find Rachel lying on the bed with her clothing disheveled and an unmistakably guilty look on her face.


	13. Marc

"Marc was just in here, wasn't he?" Bonnie's voice was cold.

"It's not like that. I...got sick and he had to help me back here," Rachel said quickly.

"If you were sick then why were you giggling?" asked Bonnie.

Rachel opened her mouth, then shut it again.

"You look just like a fish," Bonnie snorted.

Rachel angrily turned her back and ignored Bonnie. Bonnie went to bed debating whether or not she should report Rachel and Marc. Since Marc was her cousin and Rachel had become a good friend, she decided against it.

It became routine for Beau to walk Bonnie to class every morning. As Bonnie got to know her childhood friend better, she began to see him in a new light. She had always simply thought of him as the boy who had been her best friend and playmate when she had been small, but now she noticed that he was quickly maturing into a man, and a rather nice looking one at that. His voice had become deeper, and he had the beginnings of a beard.

One morning Beau didn't show up at the usual time. Bonnie was worried, wondering whether he might be sick. She was just about to give up and walk to class alone when she heard her name being called and turned to look into Marc's smiling face.

"How have you been? It's been ages since we last talked," Marc said, falling into step beside Bonnie.

"I thought that you were sweet on Rachel Sommersby," Bonnie said guardedly.

"That was just a passing fancy," Marc replied.

"Have you heard anything about Beau Wilkes? He normally walks me to class every morning," said Bonnie.

Marc frowned. "I haven't heard a thing, but if I do, I'll be sure and let you know. Here we are," he said as they arrived at the classroom.

"Thank you," Bonnie said politely.

She didn't see Beau at all for the rest of that week. Marc, on the other hand, became almost a constant presence in Bonnie's life. He was always there in the morning to walk her to class, always there in the evening to walk her back to her dorm, and constantly wanting to study with her.

"May I give you a kiss?" Marc asked her outside her dorm Friday afternoon.

"Well...all right, I suppose," Bonnie said hesitantly. She'd never been kissed before so was a little bit afraid, but at the same time she was also very curious about what it would be like. Besides, Marc _was _the best looking boy she'd ever seen.

When Marc's lips softly touched hers, she felt excitement flow through her body like a jolt of electricity. From that moment on she was unable to get Marc out of her mind.

* * *

><p>Rachel had been uncharacteristically moody for that entire week, saying very little and spending large amounts of time staring into space. When Bonnie asked her what was wrong, Rachel was always quick to shrug it off, but Bonnie got the distinct feeling that her roommate was hiding something.<p>

Friday evening Bonnie and Rachel were both relaxing in their dorm when Bonnie saw a look of panic cross Rachel's face. "Oh no..." Rachel groaned, clutching her abdomen.

"What's wrong, Rachel?" Bonnie was alarmed.

"I need a doctor right away!" Rachel cried, dashing for the school clinic.

That was the last time Bonnie ever saw Rachel.


	14. Beau

Rumors began to abound right away, rumors that Rachel had been sent home in disgrace, that Marc Robillard had had something to do with the reason. Bonnie was devastated and angrily confronted Marc the next time she saw him.

"Maybe it was me, and maybe it wasn't. Nobody can prove anything," Marc told her glibly. "Besides, that has nothing to do with you and me." He grinned as he attempted to casually slide his arm around Bonnie's waist.

"It has _everything _to do with you and me!" Bonnie cried, springing away from Marc as if he were a poisonous snake. "If you did it to Rachel, how do I know you wouldn't do it to me as well?"

"My dear Bonnie, you've nothing to fear," Marc told her. "You're not like Rachel. You're a true lady. I would never treat you in any way that was less than honorable." He smiled his most charming smile, the one that always made Bonnie melt inside.

"I don't believe you!" Gathering all the inner strength she could muster, Bonnie ran away from Marc to an alcove in the hallway that held a chair. She flung herself into the chair and cried her heart out. After a few minutes she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Bonnie?"

Bonnie looked up into the gentle blue eyes of Beau Wilkes. "Beau! Where have you been?"

"Didn't Marc tell you?" Beau seemed surprised.

"No." Bonnie remembered asking Marc about Beau and being told that he didn't know what had happened.

"I had to go back home for a week. Father fell ill, and I had to take over his duties at the mill until he was better. I'm surprised Marc didn't tell you about it like I asked him to."

"Is your father all right now?"

"Oh, yes, he's fine." Beau smiled. "How have things been around here?"

"I didn't know what had happened, so I had no idea whether or not you were coming back," Bonnie admitted. "Marc started walking me to class every day like you used to. Then last Friday night my roommate Rachel got sick and went to the clinic and never came back. They say...they say that she was carrying a baby and lost it. Marc Robillard's baby."

"Oh God, Bonnie," Beau whispered, shocked. "Are you all right?"

"I'm all right. Just really upset at Marc. We...had started to become very close." Bonnie felt terribly guilty about having kissed Marc and simply couldn't bring herself to tell Beau about it.

"I see." Beau's eyes held a distinct look of hurt that pierced Bonnie's heart.

"I'll never have anything to do with him again, Beau. I swear it."

"It's all right, Bonnie. I'm not angry. Not at _you, _anyway."

Bonnie didn't say anything.

"Marc was the reason I saw you crying, wasn't he?" Beau asked softly. Bonnie nodded.

"Oh, Bonnie." She stood, and Beau embraced her. He held her for a long time.

"Come on, let's go to class," he finally said, taking her by the hand.


	15. Wedding Bells

Bonnie and Beau became almost inseparable after that. Beau walked Bonnie to and from class just like before, and they spent hours taking walks in town, visiting various little stores or going for meals in snug little diners, just talking together and enjoying one another's company.

Right before the fall term ended in December, the school had another big dance.

"Bonnie, I...I have to tell you something," Beau said as they were slow dancing. "Over the past few months, I've come to realize that...I love you, Bonnie. Will you marry me?"

"I love you too, Beau. Yes, I will marry you," Bonnie whispered back.

"I can't wait to tell my parents the news," Bonnie told Beau as they were saying good-bye before returning home a few days later.

"I feel just the same." Beau grinned. "I'm just ever so happy that you said yes, Bonnie."

"So am I," Bonnie replied. They kissed good-bye, and Bonnie boarded the train for Charleston.

"I just can't believe my little girl's actually getting married!" Scarlett exclaimed when Bonnie told her the news.

"Beau's a lucky man," Rhett said. "He'd sure better take good care of you."

"I know he will, Papa," Bonnie replied.

Later in the day Scarlett visited her daughter's bedroom. "Would you like to know a secret?" she asked.

"What?"

"When I was about your age, I was madly in love with Beau's father."

"No!" Bonnie exclaimed. She'd never been able to imagine either one of her parents with anyone else but one another.

"Its true." Scarlett nodded. "I was very angry when I found out that he was going to marry Beau's mother. I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't listen. We ended up having a fight. That was the night I first met your father, Bonnie. He overheard the fight I had with Beau's father." Scarlett laughed at the memory. Bonnie felt very uncomfortable. She wasn't at all sure that she wanted to hear any more details.

* * *

><p>The spring term passed swiftly, and Beau and Bonnie graduated in June. Their wedding took place the weekend after they graduated. It was a splendid affair, with everyone from both families in attendance.<p>

Afterwards there was a trip by train to the shore. Bonnie's parents had given Beau and Bonnie a trip to London as a wedding present, so they had their bags packed with everything they'd need for an extended stay.

"I've never been to London," Beau told Bonnie. "I'll bet it's a whole different world."

"My father took me to London once, but it was when I was very little, so I don't remember it very well," Bonnie told him. ""I became homesick and missed my mother very much, so he had to cut our visit short."

"Do you think the same thing will happen this time?" Beau teased her.

"I expect I'll be much too busy," Bonnie replied with a smile.


	16. Honeymoon Night

_A/N: Warning: this one's a little...um...detailed...:)  
><em>

"Don't be so nervous," Bonnie told her new husband. "It's just me."

_"Just _you..." Beau laughed incredulously. "But you're _beautiful, _Bonnie! That's _why _I'm so nervous!"

"Oh, Beau." Bonnie sighed, feeling slightly impatient. "Men and women have been doing this together since Adam and Eve."

"But I've never even undressed in front of a woman before," Beau stammered.

"Well, there's no time like the present to start." Bonnie tugged his shirt out of his pants and began to unbutton it. He was perfectly all right with that. After his shirt was off, Bonnie asked him to unzip her dress. He was all right with that as well, but when the dress fell away and she stood before him in her corset, he gasped audibly. Bonnie smiled and gently led his fingers to the ties. He fumbled awkwardly with them until they were at last untied and his wife stood before him wearing nothing but her panties.

Beau's eyes bugged out as he stared at Bonnie's bare breasts.

"Go ahead. Touch them," she encouraged him. He ran his fingers lightly over her smooth skin and watched her nipples become erect. At the same time, he felt his pants becoming uncomfortably tight.

Bonnie began to moan and, encouraged, Beau's caresses became bolder.

"Suck on them," Bonnie ordered. He did, and Bonnie's moaning increased as she began to stroke his hair.

After awhile, Beau felt Bonnie's hands wandering toward his waist. Deftly she unfastened his pants and pulled them down, then did the same with his underwear. The feeling of release combined with the cool air hitting his sensitive skin assured that he was immediately rock hard. Bonnie moaned appreciatively and began to stroke him, and he moaned involuntarily at the almost indescribable pleasure.

Bonnie sat on the side of the bed and quickly shed her panties.

"Touch me," she encouraged, taking Beau's hand and gently guiding it to her center. With his heart pounding so rapidly he could hear it, Beau fondled the velvety soft skin between Bonnie's legs. The sensation excited and thrilled him almost to the point of climax. Bonnie lay back and positioned Beau so that he could enter her, then guided him toward her opening.

"I don't want to hurt you, Bonnie," he said.

"It's all right. Everyone says it hurts a little bit the first time," Bonnie said bravely.

Suddenly he had the overpowering urge to plunge into her. He did, and she whimpered slightly. Still driven by the same urge, he thrust into her over and over again. He was finished in almost no time.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, embarrassed almost beyond measure. "It's supposed to last longer than that, isn't it?"

"I should certainly hope so," Bonnie said crossly.

"We can try again in a little bit, if you like," he said.

"Never mind." She turned away from him and pretended to sleep.

Their next attempt at lovemaking went much more smoothly, and by the end of the voyage, they were both genuinely enjoying and looking forward to their lovemaking sessions.


	17. A Whole Different World

"It really is a whole different world," Beau said as he and Bonnie gazed around themselves in wonder. It was Beau's first time ever to see London, and Bonnie's first time since she'd been a small child.

"Well, what would you like to see first?" asked Bonnie.

"Why don't we just start walking and look at whatever we come to first," Beau suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea to me," Bonnie replied.

Soon they arrived at Hyde Park, where they watched the wealthy aristocrats prance up and down Rotten Row on their horses.

"Why is it called 'Rotten Row'?" asked Beau. "That seems a curious name for it."

"It's from the French phrase 'Route de Roi', which means 'King's Row'," Bonnie explained.

"Oh, I see," said Beau.

Suddenly one of the horses stumbled and began to fall. Its rider, a young woman of about Bonnie's age, gave a frightened shriek. Beau was there right away, grabbing the horse's reins and helping to steady it. In a few moments the brief scare was over.

"I don't know how to thank you," the young woman told Beau. She was very pretty, with a slender figure and dark brown hair and eyes.

"That's all right." Beau smiled modestly.

"Are you on holiday, then?" the young woman asked.

"We're on our honeymoon," Beau told her. "My name is Beau Wilkes, and this is my wife, Bonnie."

"I'm very pleased to meet you both." The young woman shook hands with Beau and Bonnie. "I am Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife. Queen Victoria is my grandmother."

Beau gulped and blushed a deep shade of red. Bonnie just smiled. "It's lovely to meet you as well," she said.

"What part of America are you from?" asked Princess Louise.

"We're both originally from Jonesboro, Georgia, but my parents and I moved to Charleston, South Carolina when I was small," Bonnie told her.

"We were saddened by the devastation resulting from the recent war in your country," Princess Louise said. "Were your families adversely affected by it in any way?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Beau said. "Both my grandfather and Bonnie's grandfather lost their plantations. After the war, Bonnie's mother took over a saw mill and hired my father to work for her. When she moved to Charleston she left the saw mill to him. I'll be going into business with him when I return to the United States, and I plan to take it over when he retires in a few years."

"It's a shame that you must return to the United States," said Princess Louise. "My grandmother the Queen has just lost one of her stables' best footmen. Do you have experience with horses?"

"A fair amount," Beau told her.

"If you are interested in the position, I will be happy to speak to my grandmother about you," Princess Louise offered.

"What do you think, Bonnie?" Beau asked his wife. "Would you be happy to make London our permanent home?"


	18. A Great Adventure

Bonnie looked around at the foreign city she had so recently arrived in. It had never even occurred to her that he might someday live somewhere other than the United States.

"London is lovely," she said at last. "I'd be happy to consider living here, if that's what you want, Beau."

"I've always thought that living in another country would be a great adventure," Beau replied. "I'm simply thrilled to have the opportunity to do so. Thank you very much, Princess Louise."

"Oh, just call me Louise, like the rest of my family does," Louise said modestly. "I'll talk with my grandmother and let you know what she says as soon as I can."

Beau told Louise how they could be reached, and then he and Bonnie spent the rest of the day seeing as many of the sights in London that they had time for.

Louise was in touch with them again several days later. Her grandmother the Queen did indeed have an opening for a stable groom and was interested in meeting Beau and Bonnie. Having never met royalty before, they were both quite nervous, but to their great relief, the meeting with Queen Victoria went quite well.

"I'll show you where your new living quarters will be," Louise eagerly offered afterwards. Obediently they followed her through the palace until they reached the area where the servants lived.

Bonnie couldn't believe her eyes. Her new living quarters were far grander than even the finest she'd ever been in back home.

"Oh, Beau, just look!" she cried, twirling excitedly across the room.

Beau laughed indulgently.

After several days of settling in, Bonnie became accustomed to palace routine. She and Louise became very good friends, and she also met Louise's younger sisters, Victoria and Maud. The four women were very close in age and enjoyed each other's company very much. Beau enjoyed his work in the stable and became good friends with the other stable hands.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile back in Charleston, Rhett and Scarlett eagerly awaited the return of Beau and Bonnie from their honeymoon. A letter arrived from London instead, and with eagerness tinged with trepidation Scarlett hurriedly ripped it open and began to read. A few seconds later, her mouth dropped open with astonishment.<p>

"Why, I don't believe it!" she exclaimed.

"What is it?" asked Rhett.

"Bonnie, our little girl...she and Beau have decided to stay in London indefinitely," Scarlett gasped.

"What!" Rhett was highly perturbed.

"It's true," Scarlett said mournfully. "After arriving in London, they made the acquaintance of Queen Victoria's granddaughter, who offered Beau a position as a stable boy in the royal stables."

There was no response.

"Rhett?" Scarlett glanced up from the letter to see her husband slumped over in his chair. "Rhett!"


	19. Devastating News

"Your husband has suffered a massive heart attack," the physician grimly told Scarlett after examining Rhett. "His heart has been severely damaged. He hasn't got much time left, I'd say six weeks at the most. You'd better get the rest of the family together as quickly as possible."

"Oh, no!" Scarlett moaned. "Whatever shall I do without him?" She had completely forgotten that she'd once felt the exact same way about Ashley. She hadn't even thought about Ashley in ages.

Choking back sobs, Scarlett sat down to write the letter that she knew she'd have to write to Bonnie. It was the hardest letter she'd ever had to write.

* * *

><p>Beau watched as Bonnie eagerly ripped the letter open and read it. When she finished, she burst into tears.<p>

"What is it, darling?" he asked.

"It's my father," Bonnie sobbed. "He's d-dying. My mother says that if I want to see him alive I have to leave for Charleston right away. We must sail out on the next ship bound for America."

"I'm very sorry, Bonnie," Beau said gently. "I can't go with you. I just started this job, and I can't ask for that much time off at that short of a notice."

"But I can't go alone!" Bonnie wailed.

"I promise, I'll find you a chaperone," Beau said.

"But I have to leave _now!" _Bonnie reminded him.

"I know that," Beau said soothingly.

In the end, the mother of one of Beau's fellow stable hands, a kindly woman named Violet who was about fifty, agreed to accompany Bonnie on her trip back to the United States.

The return trip across the Atlantic ocean was vastly different from the previous journey.

"Please, God, let my father live until I get back home," Bonnie prayed every night. The days were dull and depressing, the nights lonely and filled with anguish. Bonnie missed her husband dearly and wished with all her heart that Beau was there to comfort her.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back in London, a fresh young lass named Penelope waited patiently for the chance to make her move. As a dishwasher in the royal kitchen, she'd admired the new young American stable worker for awhile now, but every time she'd seen him, he'd been either at work or in the company of Bonnie. Through the grapevine she'd heard that Bonnie had a relative back in the United States who was seriously ill, that she'd be gone for awhile, so Penelope hoped that her golden opportunity had at last arrived.<p>

She knew where Beau's quarters were, and one night after dinner, soon after Bonnie had left, she crept there with a bottle of wine and a box of candy.

Beau opened the door and stared at Penelope, puzzled. "Do I know you?"

"My name's Penelope, and I work in the kitchen." Penelope smiled. "May I please come in?"

"Oh yes, of course." Beau stood aside so that she could enter.

"What a nice place you have!" Penelope purred.

Beau shrugged. "It's all right, I suppose." He sighed. "It's lonely with Bonnie being away."

"I'm sure it is." Penelope smiled. "Would you like some wine?"

"Oh, of course!" Beau quickly found a couple of glasses, and Penelope filled them and handed one to Beau. Then she sat beside him on the sofa.

"So, tell me about life in the United States," Penelope began. "It's such an amazing country. I've always wondered what it would be like to live there. I'll bet it's really different from England."

"The American South, where Bonnie and I are from, _is _quite different," Beau told her. "It doesn't rain quite as much, the winters are milder and there isn't as much snow, and the summers are much warmer. Different kinds of vegetables grow, turnip greens, black-eyed peas, sweet potatoes. Different animals, too, like opossums."

While Beau was talking, Penelope began to move her hand ever so gently up and down Beau's inner thigh, almost, but not quite, touching his crotch. He glanced at her but didn't say anything. The wine made him feel pleasantly giddy, and right now he was too comfortable to make a fuss about anything at all.


	20. Beginning To Heal

"Please tell me I'm not too late!" Bonnie cried as she rushed into her parents' bedroom.

"Bonnie, my darling!" Scarlett cried as she embraced her daughter. "He's still alive, but just barely," she continued.

With heavy hearts, they both looked at the bed upon which Rhett lay. Bonnie was shocked to see how pale and weak he looked.

"Father!" She went to him and embraced him.

"Bonnie." Rhett was barely strong enough to speak. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Of course I'm here. I came as soon as I heard," Bonnie said.

"How's Beau?"

"He's fine. Both of us are."

"How's life in London?"

"It rains a lot, but other than that, we really like it. England's a beautiful country."

"So, when are you going to make me a grandfather?" Rhett's face bore the slightest hint of a smile.

"Hopefully soon." Bonnie smiled back. "I'm so glad to see you again, Father, although I dearly wish it were under better circumstances."

Bonnie was sitting at Rhett's side, holding his hand, when he slipped into a coma a few hours later.

* * *

><p>Penelope gradually slid her hand back up Beau's leg, and this time, it did make contact with his crotch. Beau suddenly jumped to his feet as if he'd just been stung by a bee.<p>

"You tricked me!" he accused. "You came here just to seduce me, didn't you?"

"Why, no." Penelope shook her head with feigned innocence. "I just thought that perhaps you could use some company..."

"Please leave," Beau said tersely, struggling to control his indignation. "Bonnie's the only woman I love, and I'll never be untrue to her."

Disappointed, Penelope gathered her things and swiftly returned to her own quarters.

* * *

><p>Rhett's funeral was a very sad affair. Adam and Careen were there with Katie, who was now in her teens, and her younger brother, Adam, Junior. Ashley and Melanie came with their daughter Natalie, who was slightly younger than Katie.<p>

Scarlett was secretly pleased to see that Ashley was now almost completely bald. He attempted to comfort Melanie as she sobbed copiously. After the ceremony had ended, Natalie approached Bonnie's younger brother Daniel.

"I'm so sorry about your father," she said.

"He was always so full of life," Daniel replied. "I just can't believe he's really gone."

"At least you can take comfort in knowing that he's in a better place now," Natalie said. Without really realizing it, the two of them had started walking together.

"I know that," Daniel said. "But it still hurts."

"I'm so sorry," Natalie repeated, taking Daniel's hand.

* * *

><p>On the long trip back over the ocean, all Bonnie could think about was how much she missed Beau and how badly she wanted to see him again. Even with her mother and brother there to share in her grief, she'd felt so alone at her father's funeral. Many times, on the ship, she awakened from a sad dream about her father with nothing to hold onto but a pillow, no one to dry her tears.<p>

When she finally arrived back in London, she felt as if she'd been gone for a very long time. _The last time I was here, my father was still alive, _she told herself. Trying desperately to push the agonizing thought from her mind, she eagerly scanned the faces waiting at the dock for that of Beau.

At last. There he was. She ran to meet him, and he threw his arms around her and embraced her tightly. She held onto him as if she never wanted to let go.

"Did you get there in time?" Beau asked.

"Just barely," Bonnie told him. "He was still conscious when I arrived, but he slipped into a coma a few hours later and never awakened."

"I'm so sorry," Beau said.

"I'm just ever so happy to see you again," Bonnie told him.

"So am I, darling." He took her arm and they slowly walked home.

As soon as they were back in the privacy of their bedroom, they practically tore the clothing from their bodies and lay down on the bed together. After weeks of deprivation, they were both eager to make up for lost time.

"I want a baby," Bonnie murmured as her husband lavished kisses on her.

"So do I," said Beau. "Maybe this time it'll happen."

"Oh, I hope so," Bonnie replied.

As she and her husband joined bodies and began to make love, for the first time in many days, she began to feel ever so slightly that things were gradually returning to normal.


	21. Bertrand

"Just what on earth did you think you were doing, Carreen Benbow, bringing me out here in the middle of nowhere?" Scarlett complained.

"It's been six months since Rhett died, and in all that time, all you've done is mope around the house," Carreen replied. "A trip to New Orleans will do you a world of good."

"Well, we're never going to get to New Orleans with our buggy wheels stuck in the mud," Scarlett pointed out.

"Looks like you ladies could use some help." Scarlett and Carreen looked to see who had spoken. They saw a medium-height, stocky, middle-aged man with wisps of white hair framing his lined face and friendly blue eyes.

"Our buggy's stuck," Carreen told him, embarrassed to be pointing out the obvious.

"Well, now, I reckon I can help you out there."

"Scarlett, he can't push the buggy with you sitting in it!" Carreen whispered fiercely.

"Drat! I hate getting my petticoats dirty," Scarlett grumbled as she climbed down from the buggy.

Together, the three of them managed to somehow push the buggy back onto solid ground.

"Thank you so much, Mr..." Carreen began.

"Thibodeaux. Bertrand Thibodeaux," the man said pleasantly. "This here swamp's my home. I been livin' here all my life."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Thibodeaux," said Carreen. "I'm Carreen Benbow, and this is my sister, Scarlett Butler."

"Please, call me Bertrand." Bertrand peered curiously at Scarlett. "Cat got your tongue?"

Scarlett frowned darkly.

"My sister lost her dear husband just six months ago," Carreen explained.

"My condolences, ma'am." Bertrand bowed slightly to Scarlett. "Say, are you folks hungry? I got me a heap o' crawfish boiled, more than I could possibly eat myself, and it would be a real shame to let crawfish go to waste."

"Oh, no, we couldn't..." Carreen began.

"Oh, yes, we _could," _Scarlett said firmly.

"You won't regret it, I guar-on-_tee," _Bertrand told them.

* * *

><p>In Georgia, Natalie Wilkes waited eagerly to hear from her new friend, Daniel Butler.<p>

"He _promised _he'd write," she complained fretfully.

"Well, it hasn't really been that long," Melanie told her daughter. "Just be patient. I'm sure he'll write eventually."

Less than a week later, Natalie eagerly checked the mailbox and found that, sure enough, a letter had arrived for her. She saw the return address and whooped with joy.

"He wrote! He wrote!" she shouted enthusiastically, dashing back inside the house to tell her mother.

* * *

><p>"You're doing fine," the midwife told Bonnie. "Just give me one more big push."<p>

Bonnie squeezed her eyes shut and pushed with all her might. She felt something slide from her body and, a moment later, heard the wail of a newborn.

"It's a boy!" the midwife announced.

_A son! _Bonnie thought excitedly. _Beau will be so pleased! _She suddenly wanted to see her husband more than anything else in the world.

The baby was cleaned, weighed, measured, wrapped in a blanket, and placed in his mother's arms. _Father would have been so happy, _Bonnie thought as she looked down into her son's dark blue eyes. A single tear fell onto the blanket in which he was wrapped.

"He's beautiful." Bonnie turned to see Beau smiling down at his wife and son. "You did well, my love."

* * *

><p>"I christen thee Rhett Ashley Wilkes," said the priest as he sprinkled water over the top of the baby's head. Beau and Bonnie had decided to name their son after both of their fathers.<p>

After the christening was over, the priest smiled and handed baby Rhett to Bonnie.

"You're such a good boy," Bonnie cooed to her son.

"He hardly cried at all," Beau added.

"I think he's going to be a lot like you," Bonnie told her husband.

"I think he's got a bit of you in him as well," Beau observed with a smile as his son began to wave his arms and whimper hungrily.


	22. As Long As She's Happy

To her surprise, Scarlett found that she actually enjoyed her visit with Bertrand Thibodeaux very much. She ate crawfish until she was stuffed, and later, Bertrand played zydeco music on his accordion and she and Carreen danced. She was having so much fun that she forgot all about New Orleans. She and Carreen ended up staying with Bertrand for so long that they had to spend the night. Like the gentleman he was, Bertrand offered Scarlett his bed to sleep in, but Scarlett, fearing for the safety of the buggy, slept there instead.

They never made it to New Orleans.

* * *

><p>In London, Bonnie opened the letter from her mother, read it, and groaned in dismay.<p>

"What is it, sweetheart?" asked Beau.

"Papa hasn't even been dead a whole year, and Mama's already getting married again!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"Can't say as I'm really surprised," said Beau, who had often heard his parents discuss the rapidity with which Scarlett had always replaced her deceased husbands.

"Well, I think it's disgraceful!" Bonnie said.

"Who's she marrying?" asked Beau.

"Someone named Bertrand Thibodeaux whom she and Aunt Carreen met in Louisiana," Bonnie said dolefully.

"Well, as long as she's happy, that's what's important," said Beau.

"Well, _I'm _certainly not happy about it," Bonnie muttered.

* * *

><p>On July 27, 1889, Bonnie's friend, Princess Louise, married Alexander Duff, the 6th Earl Fife. Bonnie and Beau attended the wedding with little Rhett, who was a toddler by then.<p>

"I don't see how she could really love him," Bonnie remarked. "He's eighteen years older than she is!"

"As I recall, your father was quite a bit older than your mother as well," Beau pointed out.

"Not by eighteen years!" Bonnie exclaimed, resting her hand on her swollen belly.

"Well, sometimes love is blind, I suppose," Beau replied.

Beau and Bonnie's second child, a girl, was born several months later. She was named Melanie Scarlett after both her grandmothers.

Beau doted on his children, as Rhett had doted on Bonnie, taking them to the park, the zoo, and many other places. Bonnie often accompanied them.

"What an adorable family!" the citizens of London said to each other when they saw Beau, Bonnie, and their children together. Sometimes Bonnie and Beau were complemented on how beautiful their children were. Bonnie imagined her father looking down on them with a big grin on his face.

* * *

><p>Daniel and Natalie married and lived near Scarlett and Bertrand in New Orleans. They opened a restaurant specializing in Cajun cuisine and, borrowing many of Bertrand's family recipes, did quite well. Daniel wrote frequently to his sister Bonnie in London, and Natalie wrote to Beau. They all looked forward to the next time they would see each other.<p> 


	23. A Rude Surprise

**February 2, 1901**

"What a cold, miserable day this is!" Melanie Scarlett Wilkes said to her best friend, Princess Alexandra of Fife.

"It's always so sad when someone dies," Alexandra replied.

The girls and their families were attending the funeral of Alexandra's great grandmother, Queen Victoria. They chatted as they stood in the long line waiting to file past the casket in St. George's chapel in Windsor Castle.

"I suppose now your grandfather will be King," Melanie said.

"He's certainly waited long enough," Alexandra replied.

"And after that your mother will be Queen?" asked Melanie.

"Oh, no. After that my Uncle George will be King," Alexandra told her friend.

"Uncle George is older than our mother, and besides, males are ahead in the line of succession." Melanie turned to see Alexandra's older brother, Alastair Duff. She'd always considered him to be very nice looking but had always been too shy to speak to him.

"That doesn't seem fair." Melanie frowned.

"I suppose it wouldn't to you Americans." Alastair grinned, and Melanie felt her heart quicken. Was he flirting with her?

"I've never even been to America," Melanie told him.

"Neither have I," said Alastair. "Who knows, perhaps some day we'll both get the chance to go there."

In spite of the general dismal atmosphere of the day, Melanie suddenly felt happy.

* * *

><p>Felicia, the daughter of Daniel and Natalie, rushed into the busy restaurant carrying a tray laden with glasses of iced tea. The restaurant was even busier than usual today, and Felicia and the other waitresses found it a challenge to keep up with the crowds.<p>

Suddenly Felicia slipped in a wet spot on the floor and the tray went flying.

"Are you all right?" asked a male voice, and suddenly two strong hands were helping her to her feet.

Right away, Felicia could see that he was a mulatto. He had the very curly black hair and dark tan, but not quite brown, skin of such people. He was tall and slender with a friendly smile, his teeth looking very white against his skin.

"Look at the mess I've made!" Felicia wailed.

"It's all right," he told her. "I'll help you clean it up."

"Oh, I couldn't ask you to do that..."

"You're not asking. I'm offering." He smiled again, and Felicia decided that she liked him a lot.

"Why, thank you, Mr..."

"Please, just call me Antoine."

"I'm Felicia. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you as well," he said.

Felicia saw him waiting for her when she got off work that evening.

"May I have the honor of walking you home?" he asked.

On the way home Antoine told Felicia about his family.

"My grandfather was an officer in General Beauregard's army," he said. "My father was born while he was away fighting the war. My mother's parents were freedmen, sharecroppers. My mother was the first member of her family to be born free."

"My grandfather was also an officer in General Beauregard's army," Felicia told him. "My Uncle Beau was born in Atlanta while it was burning. My grandmother almost died. My other grandmother helped her to escape back home to Jonesboro right afterward."

From the window Scarlett saw her granddaughter walking home and noticed the man who accompanied her.

_Oh no, it can't be true...please tell me that what I'm seeing isn't really happening..._


	24. Felicia's Idea

"What's wrong, dear?" Bertrand asked his wife. "You look a might pale."

"I just saw Felicia walking home with a mulatto!" Scarlett exclaimed.

"Well, now, what's so terrible about that?" asked Bertrand. "It's a free country. I reckon she can walk home with whomever she wants."

"A woman of superior class and breeding simply does _not _walk home with a mulatto!" Scarlett exclaimed. "It simply _isn't _done!"

Bertrand laughed, skillfully dodging the sofa cushion Scarlett threw at him.

* * *

><p>"So, how does it feel to have a King for a grandfather?" Melanie asked Alastair as they strolled beside the Thames.<p>

"Not so very different from having a Queen for a great grandmother," Alastair chuckled. "My great grandmother has so many children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren that I feel rather insignificant, just one more face among the many.'

"Yet you seem different from the others," Melanie said thoughtfully.

"How so?"

"To me you just seem so much more...approachable. I feel like I can talk to you just as I do with my brothers and sisters."

"Why, thank you," said Alastair. "I consider that a compliment."

"That's how I meant it," Melanie replied.

"Would you like to know a secret?" asked Alastair.

"What?" Melanie's eyes grew round, astonished that the King's grandson would actually share a confidence with her.

"After spending so much time around titled nobility, I find it quite refreshing to be with a young woman like yourself," Alastair said. "There's no pressure to attempt to impress and to behave absolutely correctly one hundred percent of the time. With you I can be more natural, more the way I feel like being."

Melanie felt as if she were walking on clouds for the rest of the day.

* * *

><p>Felicia fell into the routine of allowing Antoine to walk her home from the restaurant every day. Some of the townspeople began to whisper behind her back. Felicia didn't notice, but Scarlett sure did, and confronted her son and daughter-in-law about it at the first opportunity.<p>

"Felicia is becoming the laughingstock of the town," she told Daniel and Natalie. "You must put an end to this foolishness right away."

"But we want Felicia to be happy, and if being with Antoine is what makes her happy, we have no objection to it," Daniel told his mother.

"Well, _I _object to it," Scarlett retorted. "And if you don't speak to her about it, I will."

"Felicia, dear," Natalie said to her daughter the next time they were alone together. "For your own good, I think that you should stop letting Antoine walk you home from the restaurant."

"But I like him, Mama!" Felicia protested. "What's wrong with spending time with someone that you like?"

"Perhaps you and I don't see anything wrong with it," Natalie began. "But honey, some people don't like the idea of you being seen with a boy like Antoine. Your grandmother is worried about what this relationship will do to your reputation. She's afraid you'll lose all your friends over it."

"To my _real _friends, it won't matter."

"Nevertheless, honey, I really think it would be a good idea if you found someone else to like, and your father feels the same way."

When Antoine saw Felicia at the restaurant the next day, he noticed that she looked very sad.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"My parents don't want me to walk home with you anymore," she told him.

"I see," he said quietly.

"But I don't want to have to give you up, Antoine," Felicia insisted. "I like you a lot!"

"I like you a lot too, Felicia," said Antoine. "But I don't want you to get into trouble on my account."

"There _has _to be something we can do," said Felicia. She thought for a moment, and then an idea came to her.


	25. Carreen To The Rescue

_A/N: Mature content_

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the judge said. "You may kiss the bride."

Antoine kissed Felicia's lips for the first time, and the judge dismissed them.

"What do we do now?" asked Antoine.

"I don't know," Felicia admitted. "We certainly can't go back home, at least not now."

Antoine and Felicia had gone to the Justice of the Peace and eloped. Fearing her grandmother Scarlett's wrath, Felicia was determined not to return home right away.

"I've got an idea," said Felicia. "My Great Aunt Carreen still lives in Charleston. I don't think she'd turn us away."

"Charleston's a long way from here," Antoine said.

"We'll have to travel at night and sleep during the day," Felicia told him.

"But where are we going to sleep?"

"Wherever we can find."

* * *

><p>"Felicia! What a surprise!" Carreen exclaimed. "What brings you here? Who's your friend?"<p>

"This is my husband, Antoine Dubois," said Felicia. "My grandmother forbid me to see him anymore, so we ran away and eloped."

"You traveled all the way from New Orleans, just the two of you?" Carreen gasped incredulously.

"Yes. Just the two of us," said Antoine.

"Well, by all means, do come on in," Carreen said. "You two can stay in my guest room, but I will have to tell your parents, Felicia."

"That's all right," Felicia said. "I want them to know I'm safe. My grandmother will be angry. That's why I had to come all the way up here. I'm afraid of her."

"Your grandmother loves you very much," Carreen told her. "I'm sure she's been worried sick about you."

Carreen showed Antoine and Felicia to the guest bedroom. Felicia grinned at Antoine, and he smiled back uncertainly.

"We're alone together at last." Felicia kissed her new husband's lips, and he responded, hesitantly at first, then more enthusiastically. Felicia began to unbutton Antoine's shirt, and his hands moved over her still-fully-clothed body. Once she had removed his shirt, she turned so that he could unzip her dress. Piece by piece, each article of clothing fell away, until at last they were both completely naked.

Felicia lay on the bed, and Antoine lay beside her. They stimulated one another until they were both highly aroused. Felicia gasped as Antoine entered her.

"Did I hurt you?" Antoine asked anxiously.

"It's all right," Felicia whispered. "I've always heard that it hurts a little bit the first time."

Soon she felt such bliss that she forgot all about the pain.

* * *

><p>Carreen wrote to Daniel and Natalie immediately. Natalie wrote back begging Felicia to come home, with or without Antoine. Felicia and Antoine returned to New Orleans by train. Daniel and Natalie greeted them warmly and offered to help them set up a home. Scarlett refused to have anything to do with them at first, but Bertrand eventually softened her to the point that she would allow Felicia to visit her, although she still refused to allow Antoine into her house.<p> 


	26. Epilogue

Beau and Bonnie lived out the rest of their lives in England, returning to the United States for visits occasionally. Several of their children, including Melanie, married members of British aristocracy, and the rest all married English commoners and had children and grandchildren of their own.

Rhett Ashley Wilkes and his wife, Annabelle, were on the Titanic when it sunk. Annabelle was saved by a lifeboat, and Rhett floated to safety on a piece of furniture. They were later reunited in Massachusetts, where they had a daughter, Jewel, and other children.

Bertrand and Scarlett Thibodeaux had a long, happy marriage, remaining in New Orleans for the rest of their lives.

Antoine and Felicia Dubois also remained in New Orleans, where they took over the restaurant from their parents. They eventually had a total of eight children, including several World War II veterans.


End file.
